The Physics of Tackling in American Football

Brandon Hergott
The Physics of Tackling in American Football The game that America has come to know and love may have more behind it than everyday viewers and fans realize. Physics fuels every aspect of the game of football and is evident in the collisions that take place on every play. Watching a game of football can be a great learning tool to anyone interested in better understanding the laws of physics. Many great examples are provided on every snap. Mass, force, momentum, velocity and torque all play significant roles in the tackling action performed by players and the better you understand these terms the better you can begin to understand the game itself (Gay). Most of what football players and coaches know about tackling is more instinctive than anything. They understand more about the physics of the process more than they realize. Force, mass, acceleration, momentum, torque, velocity, inertia and center of mass are important terms that become relevant when discussing the physics of tackling in football (Gay). Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity in a certain period of time. Force in football can be described as the influence that one player has on another while causing him to accelerate. The amount of substance an object is made up of is the mass. Momentum comes as the result of the product of the mass of a moving object and its velocity. Inertia is the resistance of a moving object to a change in speed or direction, and also the resistance of a stationary object to being moved. Torque is a force that produces a twisting rotation motion. The speed an object travels over a distance during a measured time is velocity. Center of mass is the area of mass of an object that exerts the maximum force.
These terms are translated into coaching instructions for players to better understand how to make the most out of each attempted tackle and…...

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